


ever thought of calling, darling

by Underthebluerain



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Angst, Bitterness, Canon-Typical Violence, Don't copy to another site, Drama, F/F, Heartbreak, Hurt No Comfort, Jealousy, Loneliness, Moving On, Pining, Sad, Self-Esteem Issues, Unhappy Ending, Unrequited Love, Worry, basically angie's pov of season 2, being the one character locked out of the loop and left behind completely alone isn't fun, this is not a happy fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-12 01:14:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18001004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Underthebluerain/pseuds/Underthebluerain
Summary: By now, she knows how it is: Peggy goes off to save the world, returns after a while, and tells Angie as much as she is allowed to over a pie and some Schnapps.Except this time, Peggy doesn’t come back.





	ever thought of calling, darling

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in my head late one night when I was feeling particularly bitter about season 2. I made myself incredibly sad, which of course meant that I had to write it down and make other people sad too. I think it also helped me cope with it, though, get it out of my system.

When Angie gets the call, she’s not really surprised. It’s not the first time Peggy has had to leave the city for a mission —although it is the first time that she hasn’t been able to say goodbye in person— and Angie knows her job is sometimes unpredictable like this. Peggy has a mission, she has to leave the city, and she’ll be back as soon as she can. Angie tells her to have a safe trip and goes about her daily life while worrying. By now, she knows how it is: Peggy goes off to save the world, returns after a while, and tells Angie as much as she is allowed to over a pie and some Schnapps.

Except this time, Peggy doesn’t come back.

***

She listens to Peggy explain that her plane is leaving for L.A. in three hours, that she doesn’t have time to stop by, and that she’ll be back as soon as possible. She sounds a bit distracted and hurried, but that’s normal in this situation, so it doesn’t worry Angie. She also sounds distant, and that worries Angie more. She thought Peggy had overcome the stage of pushing her away, but maybe not.

She wonders, briefly, if anything has changed since the last time they saw each other, and discards the idea. It was only last night, everything was going well, and Peggy was acting normal. What she’s picking up on is probably the pre—mission stress and nothing else.

So Angie swallows the _I could go with you_ , swallows the _Be careful_ , swallows the _I’ll miss you_ , and as always, swallows the _I love you_ , and just says, “Have a safe trip and bring me a nice souvenir, will you?”

Peggy hangs up and goes to work, and Angie does too.

***

She doesn’t hear from Peggy in the next week.

This isn’t really weird, either. Peggy is a spy on a dangerous mission and she is supposed to keep her cover. Calling her roommate to chat about her day is probably not the best way to go about it.

Angie still worries, though. Her shifts at the automat keep her busy and her auditions even more so, but she finds the time.

The mansion’s seven phones don’t ring once.

***

Eventually, after looking through the documents in the mansion, she manages to find the telephone number of what may be the Jarvises’ house in Los Angeles. The first time she rings, nobody picks up. She tries the next day. A very cheerful female voice answers. Angie has to give her name, surname and address, and explain everything regarding how she knows Peggy, before the woman confirms that she is staying there. Angie doesn’t mind, though. She’s happy that this woman —Mrs. Ana Jarvis, apparently— is protecting Peggy.

Angie is informed that Peggy is not home, so she leaves a message for her. That she called, that she hopes everything is okay, and to ask Peggy to call her back when she can. Mrs. Jarvis assures her that she will pass the message along.

Peggy doesn’t call.

***

Angie manages to wait a week and a half before ringing the Jarvises’ again. This time, nobody answers the phone, not the first time, not the second, not the tenth.

She’s actually worried now. She tries to ring all the phone numbers she’s found that are even remotely related to Howard Stark, but he’s never reachable. She’s been devouring any L.A. news that pop up in the papers, looking for any clue about whatever dirty business Peggy may be investigating. It turns out that there are several fishy things going on in L.A., but she doesn’t know which one —if any— Peggy is dealing with. Spy work, Angie reminds herself frequently. It’s likely that nothing about it will appear in the newspapers.

She finally finds something. A small note at the edge of the page reporting that someone broke into the Stark Mansion in L.A., kidnapped a man and shot the woman who confronted them. The lump in Angie’s throat tightens with every word she reads. _The second victim was shot and left for dead. Luckily, a timely intervention allowed her to be taken to the hospital and she is currently in a stable condition_. There are no names mentioned, not even the hospital’s, which means she is still in danger of those bastards finding her and finishing the job. Angie’s hands are shaking and she’s not sure if it’s fear or rage. _The woman has been identified as the spouse of Stark’s butler, who had been living in the mansion_. The lump loosens and Angie feels relieved, then guilty.

***

Two days later, there is more news. This time, Angie doesn’t have to find them: they’re everywhere. Front page of every newspaper. Articles about a rift being opened and closed, something called Zero Matter, and famous actress Whitney Frost being somehow responsible and sent to an asylum (and that’s what sparks Angie’s interest the most, she knows everything about Whitney. She’s now both upset and eager to know the whole story).There are two pictures, one of a giant gaping black hole in the sky, the other of Stark smiling at the camera and shaking hands with a man Angie doesn’t know. The caption reads: _Howard Stark saves the day with the help of employee Jason Wilkes_.

There is no mention of her or her organisation, but Angie knows, she just knows, that this is what Peggy has been doing. _All’s well that ends well_ , she thinks giddily, and she finds herself beaming at everybody, even at the rudest customers. _Peggy’s saved the world_ , she wants to scream at the whole city. _She’s okay and she’s coming back and these past weeks won’t matter at all_.

That night when she comes home, the phones are ringing. She runs to get it —good thing there’s one in every room— and when she picks up, there’s Peggy’s voice. The mission is done and she’s coming back tomorrow. She still sounds distant, but Angie ignores it, so happy that she thinks she’s about to burst. She wants to tell Peggy everything —not everything— that she’s been dying to say these weeks, but Peggy says that she needs to go pack. Angie promises that she’ll be waiting at the airport for her.

Peggy hangs up and Angie doesn’t sleep a wink all night. She feels too happy to.

***

The next morning, Angie calls in sick, goes to the airport and waits. There are a few planes coming from Los Angeles today, and she doesn’t know which one is Peggy’s, but she doesn’t mind. She’s brought two sandwiches —maybe Peggy will be hungry when she arrives—, two lemonades —maybe she will be thirsty— and a copy of her new shot at reaching the stage, _Love's Labour's Lost_. She’s going to learn her lines and maybe when Peggy arrives she can recite her scenes for her, probably turning up the drama more than it is necessary. Peggy always laughs when she acts melodramatic.

Hours pass. All the flights from L.A. arrive. Angie learns her lines by heart.

Peggy hasn’t come back.

***

Angie doesn’t want to seem desperate —clingy, a lady or two have called her before— but she thinks there’s good reason to call Peggy as soon as she gets home.

She doesn’t care that it’s past midnight. She doesn’t care because either something bad has happened to Peggy that kept her from leaving, or. Or maybe something else is happening. The line rings a few times before someone answers in a sleepy voice. Angie asks if something has happened to Peggy, if she’s okay. The voice —the woman again, Mrs. Jarvis— says she’s all right. Angie asks to speak to her. Mrs. Jarvis replies that she’s sorry, but Peggy isn’t home. According to her husband, Peggy was going to board the plane, “But she decided to stay here in L.A. Isn’t that wonderful, sweetie? I was hoping she would, there is still so much to see and do here!”

She doesn’t say more, and Angie may be childish but she’s not stupid, and doesn’t need —doesn’t want— to hear her say that sightseeing isn’t the reason why Peggy’s chosen to stay or why she’s not home in the middle of the night. Mrs. Jarvis is nice and has called her ‘sweetie’ and offers to tell Peggy she called, and Angie feels a sudden new rush of sadness because she thinks they could be friends, but not right now. She somehow manages to say no and hang up the phone without crying or snapping at her. It’s not Mrs. Jarvis’ fault that she is lonely and angry and desperate for love.

***

Angie doesn’t get any calls. She doesn’t want to think about it, but she wonders if Mrs. Jarvis told Peggy about her call, if Peggy cared at all. If Peggy was ever going to tell her she wasn’t coming back. She botches the audition but doesn’t mind. She’s too sad for a comedy. She finds her eyes straying to Peggy’s usual booth in the automat, now always occupied by someone else. She tries not to, but she keeps thinking back to her time with Peggy. She can’t find any reason why she should’ve seen this coming, but she keeps looking for it.

She remembers, belatedly, that Mrs. Jarvis had been shot and that she had woken her up in the middle of the night without even apologizing or asking after her health. She feels guilty, but doesn’t dare call again. She’s afraid that Peggy will be there to answer the phone. She’s afraid that she won’t.

Strangely, she also finds herself thinking of Dottie, sometimes. She knows Peggy was after her before she left New York, and she read about her arrest in the newspaper. But she also knows how dangerous Dottie is, and how determined to get to Peggy, and thinks maybe there’s something in her desperation that mirrors her own. She wonders if she is still locked up or if she has escaped, and if so, if she has ever traced Peggy’s trail to the mansion.

If she has, Angie thinks bitterly, she must’ve realized by now that Peggy doesn’t have much interest in the house or anything in it anymore. Maybe she never did.

***

Angie wakes up one morning and can’t stand the silence of the mansion. She’s sick of not talking to anyone who’s not ordering coffee and of not hearing the sounds of living in her house. She packs her bag, leaves her keys on the counter, and sets out for the Griffith. She hopes Carol, Evelyn, Gloria and the rest of the girls are still living there.

If they’re not, well. It’s always been easy for Angie to make new friends, and she’s grown used to them leaving.

They all do, eventually.


End file.
